The present invention relates to vent apparatus, and more particularly to vents of the type that are positioned in dwelling walls to provide ventilation to an attic space.
Vents of the type to be used in openings in attics may take a variety of forms and shapes; however, they must all accomplish the same purpose. The vents must permit free air movement into and out of the attic space, must prevent the ingress of small animals or birds, and must prevent the entrance of rain. The opening provided by a typical vent clearly establishes a ventilation path for air entering and exiting the attic space; such vents characteristically include a screen or mesh for preventing ingress by animals and birds. Prevention of the intrusion of water in the form of rain is characteristically accomplished by louvers that extend across the vent and are generally sloped downwardly to drain the water.
The various prior art shapes of vents, such as round or rectangular, are formed with a frame usually constructed of metal; the frame is constructed having parallel opposite sides joined at the corners to form a parallelepiped. The louvers extend from one wall to an opposite wall. The difficulty with prior art vents relates to the undesirable collection of water along the lower frame wall. This collection of water results in rust which eventually creates an opening in the vent wall thus permitting water to enter the dwelling wall in which the vent is mounted. Further, such prior art vent structures require the assembly of numerous elements or parts which is time consuming and expensive.